伦敦人的小密语

導读：伦敦押韵俚语因发源于伦敦东区而得名。传统的押韵俚语并不容易被模仿和学习的原因是由于有时候每个俚语的第二个词会被省略，或使用与一个单词韵律相同的片语来代替这个单词。

Do you know your plates of meat from your porkies？ How about your trouble and strife from your tea leaf？ Unless youre an English native， you may be wondering what on earth all this means.

These words， which may sound nonsense， are known as “cockney” rhyming slang， a system of speech used across the UK.

Rhyming slang has roots in 19th century east London， and developed either as a method for market stall traders to communicate in secret or perhaps even a way for thieves to trade information without giving away their game — historians are unclear of its true origin.

While theres no official list of phrases — you could even make them up as you go along — the general rule is to replace one word with a two-worded phrase that rhymes with it. For example： “dog and bone” （phone） and “Ruby Murray” （curry）.

Fortunately， there are websites and apps to help if you still dont have a Scooby Doo （clue）.

“Id like as many Londoners as possible to have a go. Let us know how they get on and add the words we dont know about，” Dick Howeson， the creator of uTalk， a rhyming slang translation app， told Msn.com at its launch in July.

The apps release comes just a few years after a survey conducted by the Museum of London suggested that rhyming slang is declining in use. The museum claimed after the 2012 survey of 2，000 UK residents that rhyming slang was soon to be “brown bread” （dead） after results showed that most respondents knowledge of it had disappeared.

“For many people， cockney rhyming slang is intrinsic to the identity of Londoners. However， this research suggests that the cockney dialect itself may not be enjoying the same level of popularity，” said the museums curator， Alex Werner.

Despite this， rhyming slang seems to be enjoying a revival. Not only does it have its own apps and websites， “cockney” is even a language option on some ATMs in east London — perfect for locals in need of some sausage and mash （cash）.

But why do people still use this form of dialect？

“It makes me smile whenever I hear people using rhyming slang and I try to keep it in use myself，” says Ian Groves， 53.

Ian grew up in London but now lives further south. He was brought up hearing rhyming slang and says it brings back memories of his younger days.

“My parents were both Londoners and we used rhyming slang around the house. Id be told to wash my German bands （hands） before dinner and my grandma would go up the apples and pears （stairs） at bedtime，” he says. “It reminds me of my youth.”

So if you really want to show off your English skills on a trip to the UK， walking into a cafe in east London， asking for a cup of Rosie Lee （tea）， then telling the cashier to keep the rifle range （change） wouldnt be a shabby start.

你知道plates of meat、porkies、trouble and strife、tea leaf在英文中都代表着什么意思吗？除非你的母语是英语，否则你可能根本搞不清楚这些到底是什么意思。（注：在上文中，plates of meat = feet 脚，porkies = lies 谎话，trouble and strife = wife 妻子，tea leaf = thief 小偷）

这些听起来十分“无厘头”的词，其实是一种在英国被广泛使用、来自伦敦的押韵俚语。

押韵俚语起源于19世纪的伦敦东区，可能是一种小商贩之间沟通的密语或小偷间交换信息的暗号 —— 事实上，目前就连历史学家们也无法界定它的真正起源。

并没有哪个官方名单列举这些表达 —— 你甚至都可以自己创造一些俚語 —— 大体规则就是用一个押韵的双单词词组来替代单个单词。例如：“狗与骨头dog and bone”（电话phone）以及“露比·默里Ruby Murray”（咖喱curry）。

幸运的是，如果你连一条“史酷比狗狗Scooby Doo”（线索clue）都没有的话，还可以求助一些网站和应用。

“我希望伦敦人尽可能都来试一试（这个应用），告诉大家他们如何使用押韵俚语，分享一些大家不知道的用法，”押韵俚语翻译应用uTalk的创始人迪克·豪尔森七月发布该应用时，向Msn.com 表示。

该应用发布几年前，伦敦博物馆开展的一项押韵俚语调查指出，押韵俚语正在逐渐衰亡。2012年，2000名英国居民参与了该调查，结果显示，大多数参与调查者并不具备押韵俚语的相关知识。因此，博物馆认为押韵俚语很快就会变成“黑面包brown bread”（“死亡dead”）。

“对许多人而言，伦敦东区的押韵俚语是一种伦敦人身份的固有象征。然而，这项调查却显示，伦敦方言自身却并非如此普及，”博物馆馆长亚历克斯·维尔纳说道。

尽管如此，押韵俚语似乎正在悄然复兴。现在它不光有了自己的应用程序和网站，在伦敦东区的一些ATM机上甚至出现了“伦敦方言”这一语言选项 —— 对于需要“香肠和麦芽浆sausage and mash”（“现金cash”）的本地人来说，这堪称完美。

但为什么人们仍在使用这种方言呢？

“每当我听见人们用押韵俚语的时候，我都十分开心。我自己也尝试着继续使用这些俚语。”现年53岁的伊恩·格罗夫斯说道。

伊恩在伦敦长大，目前住在更南边的地区。他听着这些押韵俚语长大，称这让他回忆起了青葱岁月。

“我父母都是伦敦人，所以我们总在家里说这种押韵俚语。从小他们就教我晚饭前要洗‘德国乐队German bands（‘手hands），我的祖母在睡前上‘苹果和梨apples and pears（‘楼梯stairs），”他说道，“这些俚语让我想起了整个青春。”

所以，如果你真的想在英国的旅途中秀一把英语，就走进东伦敦的一家咖啡馆，点一杯“罗西·李Rosie Lee”（茶tea），然后告诉收银员不用找“打靶场rifle range”（零钱change）了。这一定会是个不错的开始。

【词汇积累】

nonsense n. 荒谬的想法（看法，说法）；胡说

conduct v. （尤指为获取信息或证实某事而）做（某事）

decline v. 减少，降低，下降

respondent n. 回答者，答复者

revival n. 复兴；再流行

dialect n. 方言，地方话

shabby adj. 破旧的；不公正的；不讲理的